The Invitation
by trycee
Summary: This is a romantic story between Mulder and Scully...what happens when she invites Mulder to be with her and her family at Thanksgiving?


**The Invitation**

**_Written by Trycee_**

**MSR Romance, Suitable for Most Ages.**

**Time Frame: After All Things, Season 7, but before Requiem**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the X-Files, it is owned by Chris Carter and Fox. I wrote this story for fun not profit.**

She was very nervous, there hadn't been too many occasions when she introduced her family to a man in her life, let alone one her brother hated. She was afraid they'd take one look at her and know what they were both trying to hide...that they were more than partners now. They're been rumors for years about them through the FBI halls, she would always ignore them as did he. She knew from the minute she laid eyes on him that first day when she entered his office that she was attracted to him and she believed deep down that he felt the same way. She didn't want to fall for someone from work again. She'd done that many times and she wanted to be taken seriously in her position. She wanted to be seen as a hard working scientist and not get tangled up in something messy. In her past, she had become involved with her instructors, or co-workers and they're relationships had always ended badly. This time she wanted to make sure she earned her reputation as an FBI agent through her own merits.

It hadn't been easy working with Mulder throughout the years, hiding how she felt from him, herself and her family. She knew Mulder's feelings about her, he had made it known several times but she always tried to shrug it off, ignore his comments, his come-ons; though, she secretly enjoyed them. Scully knew that he understood her need to be taken seriously and so he stepped back and waited for her. "He waited for me", the realization struck her. Her hands tingled as she thought about how long she knew she was in fact in love with him. He'd told her that he knew all along. Probably everyone knew or at least suspected, it was obvious. People were always assuming they were a couple and she in fact had always felt like his better half, her role as Mrs. Spooky one she never questioned. How many times had people at work whispered about them behind their backs though they hadn't done anything then. They were just very good friends then, friends that held each other in ways partners typically didn't. They were very intimate without taking that final step then. But that line had finally been crossed. 'Finally!', she smiled. But despite being involved with Mulder, her partner and superior, she still needed to be taken seriously. They both knew the trouble they could get in if they're relationship ever came to light. Rumors were one thing but if the FBI did find out, they could lose their jobs or be split up.

With her family, she wasn't ready to tell them yet. Scully was sure though that one look from her mother and their secret would be revealed. Her mother, she thought, could look in her eyes and see instantly how she felt about Mulder. She knew from the past times, the way her mother had given her the 'eye' that she knew she was in love with him. Margaret Scully was concerned about her safety and about her relationship with Mulder. She wanted her to be with Mulder but she would never push or say anything. Her brother Bill on the other hand was a different story. Bill knew she loved Mulder too but he was worried that Mulder's quest put her in danger. He was her older brother and Head of the Family and he was very concerned about her.

But Bill didn't know what Mulder did to her, he didn't know how his touch almost took her breathe away or how he looked at her with such love. Scully knew that Mulder would die rather than let anything happen to her. That train of thought reminded her of what she knew was coming soon between them. She knew that Mulder was afraid for her safety especially after they became intimate and she knew it was a matter of time before Mulder would want her to stop putting herself in harms way. He would demand it and she knew she wouldn't fight him on that. Mulder had mentioned it when they'd talked about having a baby with the failed invitro attempt and he'd mentioned it again a few times. She knew that Mulder would win in the end and it had always been her plan to become a practicing doctor. The only thing she'd hoped for though was that he too would finally be ready to settle down with her and let go of the X-Files. But Scully would never tell him that she wanted him to walk away from his life in the X-files, she could never ask him that.

She glanced over to him driving to her mother's house, she could tell he was very nervous. His mother had just died and this was his first holiday without her, though he never really spent his holidays with anyone. She smiled again, thinking of how he'd call her up pretending to be busy, she knew all along that he was just missing her. A smile crossed her face and Mulder noticed. "Are you enjoying my nervousness Scully?"

"I can't believe your nervous Mulder..."

Mulder looked over to her, slipping her hand in his. "I'm terrified."

"Bill has good intentions, Mulder. He means well."

"I'll try to remember that, Scully, when he's stabbing me, " he smiled, feeling a little edgy. He tried to avoid Bill at all costs and now he had to spend an entire evening in his presence.

They pulled up in front of Scully's mother's home, Mulder jumped out and opened the door for her. He helped her out of the car and they walked up to the door. "remember, she thought to herself...'we're just partners."

"Dana," her mother said as she opened the door, "Fox, so glad you could come, " she said shooting a look at her daughter who dropped her eyes avoiding her mother's gaze. She knew her mother knew her feelings for him. Dana knew the reason her mother asked her to invite Mulder to Thanksgiving. It was rare that her mother interfered with her love life but she knew that if Mulder were here Dana would have no excuse to take off during family dinners and she would finally get to spend some quality time with her daughter.

Mulder walked in, his hand resting on Scully's back, they hung up their coats and sat down on the couch, sitting a little apart. Bill was not pleased with the sight of Mulder. Mulder nodded to Bill and Bill returned the nod but tried to keep his eyes on his sister. He worried about her. He knew her job was extremely dangerous and that her job was not what kept her in danger, she stayed because she was in love with Mulder and that knowledge irritated him greatly. He knew Mulder's ridiculous quest for aliens had endangered her life and had cost them their sister, Melissa's life. Tara, Bills wife offered the partners wine and they both took the glasses. She looked at the distance between Scully and Mulder seated on the couch. She could tell they wanted to sit closer but were obviously trying desperately not too. She figured it probably because of her husband. Bill wasn't the most understanding man.

"Fox," Mrs. Scully said, interrupting the silence. "Glad you were able to come to Thanksgiving with us."

Mulder glanced over to Scully, who was beaming, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to borrow Dana and Tara. Girls, I need help in the kitchen."

Mulder rose as Scully got up to follow her mother and sister-n-law into the kitchen. He sat back down looking over at Bill, who didn't seem too eager to converse with him. Instead Bill sipped on his wine, wishing it was something stronger, and stared with pure hatred toward Mulder, the man he felt got his sister Melissa killed, whom now was sitting in his mother's living room. Tara quickly turned on the football game to cut through the silence. She then joined the rest of the women in the kitchen.

Mrs. Scully stood at the counter, chopping up a few carrots and onions. She handed Dana a few vegetables to chop, as Tara tried entertaining baby Matthew at the table. "So Dana, " Mrs Scully said turning toward her daughter. "Whats going on between the two of you?"

Shocked, Scully looked for help in the eyes of her sister-n-law who just smiled back. "Mom, what do you mean?"

"Dana, don't you dare...you know what I mean. Its rather obvious between you two."

"Mulder is my partner."

"Dana, I expect the truth", her mother said.

Scully dropped her eyes in her mother's presence..."Okay, okay...its been years and things just happened..." her voice trailed off.

"AH-HA!", Tara squealed. "I knew it."

Scully looked in her mother's eyes." I've known for some time that you both loved each other, I never said anything...is he the one, Dana?"

"Mom..." Scully nearly whispered. Her mother waited for an answer.

Scully rolled her eyes, "Yes, he's the one..."

"Its about time", Mrs. Scully replied.

"Mom!"

"Its about time. "

"We're still partners at work. We still have to be professional."

"Yes, but you don't have to hide it with us, right?"

"Right...well, there's Bill, " Scully said turning to her sister-n-law.

"Don't worry about Bill, " Tara said, "I'll talk to him."

Mrs. Scully turned to her daughter, "Well, shoo...don't keep him waiting."

Scully smiled and kissed her mom on the cheek. She knew that her mom out of everyone knew what kind of man Mulder was. She knew her mom knew he protected her, he was there for her and that he loved her. She knew her mother understood powerful men and their passions...they were alike in that way. Scully sat back down on the couch very close to Mulder who sat straight up glancing over to Bill. Scully grabbed Mulder's hand and saw the look of alarm in Mulder's eyes. She said, "Its okay..."

"It is...", Mulder replied, giving Bill a quick glance. Scully smiled, "Its fine..."

Bill grabbed his empty wine glass, disgusted he retreated into the kitchen where his wife, child and mother were. His face was fire red. He knew his sister loved Mulder but to see it with his own eyes was another story. His wife quickly filled his glass with Irish whiskey instead of wine. "Bill...calm down. She's a grown woman and you've known a long time they loved each other..."

Mrs. Scully turned to her eldest son, "Bill, if you ask me, they've loved each other from day one."

"Mom, she fell in love with her partner. She's gonna mess up her career! Its already in the toilet because of him!"

"Thats her choice, " his wife consoled.

"Bill, I've never _ever _stepped into any of my children's relationships, Melissa and her boyfriends, Charles and his wife or you and Tara. Your sister has supported all of you in your relationships, I expect the same for her. I've been there with him when she's been in the hospital, Bill, and he would rather die than let anything happen to her."

"Things happen because she's with him though", Bill fumed.

"Bill, he makes her happy, he makes her smile., " Mrs. Scully continued. " She loves him and he loves her. What more can a mother ask for?"

Mulder looked around at the table, a large glistening turkey sat in front of Bill, and the large dining table was littered with bowls of steaming, sweet smelling dishes...it sure beat the mold growing in his refrigerator, Mulder thought. Mulder couldn't quite recall the last time his family had celebrated the holidays together, not since Samantha...thats when everything in his family changed, the joy was taken away and the Mulder Family had no need for such things after that. It was too late now anyway, they were all gone. He looked over at Scully who grinned in his direction, he smiled back at her. He had often wondered what the Scully family did for the holidays, he could only guess from his endless phone calls to her when she was with her family, usually he was interrupting their family meals, sometimes just because he missed Scully so much and didn't want to be alone. Any excuse would do...just as long as he could talk to her or see her...he knew as she did that he couldn't go very long without at least hearing her voice.

Bill sat at the head of the table, in his father's place, and Mrs. Scully sat at the other end. Bills wife sat to his right with baby Matthew next to Grandma. Mulder sat to Mrs. Scully's right and Scully sat next to her older brother, who glared periodically in Mulder's direction. She could feel the tension directed towards Mulder from Bill, "Has anyone heard from Charles?, she blurted out.

"Mom?", Bill asked. "Have you?"

Mrs. Scully was busy smiling at the sight of Mulder and her daughter but she glanced up quickly. "Yes, as a matter of fact I did recently. He sends his regards. You know you're brother. He has his own family now, his own life...we'll hear from him again in about 10 yrs." Scully smiled at Bill. "He was always different."

"Missy was a wanderer too, " Mrs. Scully spoke. "I guess all of you kind of do that in some form or the other...its the military brat syndrome, I believe. Normally we have a room full of people for the holidays but I thought this year we'd have a small family affair. I like it with just all of us."

Bill passed a bowl of mashed potatoes to Scully, she fixed her plate and turned to Mulder. "Mulder would you like some?"

Mulder had been staring at his plate, his mind on his loses in the past few years...he'd lost everyone in his family, he was the last one to carry on the Mulder genes and yet he couldn't do that with the woman he loved...he had lost everyone he cared about except Scully. He nodded eagerly, "Yes, yes I would." Scully ladled the mashed potatoes onto his plate as she did with each dish, almost instinctively. Her mother watched her fix Mulder's plate for him. "You know Dana, I'm sure he can do that himself."

Scully blushed, turning towards Mulder. "Its habit I guess, " she nearly whispered. Mulder sheepishly shot a look at Bill who huffed disapprovingly. Little Matthew cried out, wiping mashed potatoes all over his baby seat. Scully looked over at her nephew. She stared at his eyes, his sticky little hands, his auburn hair, and the look of happiness in Tara's face. Mulder saw the look of longing in her eyes. He knew that look very well by now. Her family would never know how they had tried to get pregnant, how the in vitro using her eggs he had salvaged never took and how Scully had cried in his arms because it had failed. She worried it was her last chance to be a mother and it was the one thing he wish he could give her. He knew that despite the laughter, the smiles to her family, Scully was hurting deep inside because they weren't able to create a child of their own. If he could take away her pain, the same pain he saw in her eyes as she looked so desperately at her nephew he would. Scully turned towards Mulder, she knew he understood what she was feeling at that moment. She knew that he understood her desire to be a mom, and though she tried to hide her feelings from everyone else, she couldn't hide it from him. He knew her too well. Her mother sensed it too, "So any interesting cases lately?", she said directing the question to Mulder. Mulder turned towards her mother, "Well, nothing at the moment..."

"No little green men?", Bill snarled. "Bill!", Scully shouted. "Don't."

Mulder shot Bill a grin. "Actually, they're gray, not green."

"Whatever..."

"So, what are we grateful for?", Mrs. Scully interjected.

"Family", Tara said, quickly regretting her words as she looked towards Mulder.

"New starts", Mulder said, smiling to Scully. She slid her hand inside his, under the table. "Good answer, "she giggled.

"Very Good answer", Tara smiled.

"Well everyone, lets eat, " Mrs. Scully said, spreading her arms out over the table.

"Scully, I've always wondered what a Scully Thanksgiving was like."

She hung her head low, and then slowly raised her eyes towards his, "And?", she said gripping his arm tightly as they sat on her mother's steps.

"Very interesting...more normal than I thought it would be."

"Why thank you, " she joked. "And your brother hates me even more."

"Don't worry about Bill. His bark is worst than his bite."

"Is yours?", he said, turning to kiss her. She eagerly accepted and they locked lips for quite awhile. He put his arms around her. "Thank you for inviting me."

"You know you would not have let me get through a family holiday without you blowing up my phone, Mulder."

Mulder turned to her, "Ah, I... never."

"Of course you have. You couldn't go one time without calling me, admit it."

He smiled towards her and she nearly melted, he still had that affect on her and he knew it. "Mulder, I know you're missing your family..."

He choked slightly, "You can't miss what you never had, Scully."

"Seriously Mulder, I know its been tough on you."

She placed her hand next to his, her hands were tiny compared to his. His touch was electric and she was so grateful she could freely touch him now, they're feelings out in the open, at least outside of work, though they still sneaked a kiss each morning at work and tried desperately the rest of the day to pretend they weren't thinking of the next time and the next kiss. For months now they had secretly become lovers and it wasn't easy trying to stay professional at work. Even if they had just left each other that morning, they still had to pretend to maintain their own apartments, their own lives and arrive to work separately.

"Scully, you're making things easier for me, much easier. My sister used to be my obsession, my only reason for living and now..."

"Now?", she said looking into his eyes that were so deep, so true.

"Now," he continued. "My only reason is you..."

"Mulder, I love you so much, " she said, surprising herself. They had never used the "L' word before though it was unspoken between them, except when he was in the hospital after chasing after the ghost ship and had said it to her as he lay in the hospital bed, but she hadn't taken him seriously then. She looked away quickly but Mulder turned her face towards his and kissed her deeply.

"Scully, you know I love you too. You know you've been the only one I've ever loved this much. I can't even breathe without you..."

Tears welled up in her eyes and she wiped them away. They sat in silence for a moment.

"Do you know how hard it is to wake up without you next to me every morning?, " he continued. "Even though I see you almost everyday, I can't sleep without you next to me any more. Not a wink!"

"And for an insomniac that's saying something", she asked, tightening her grip around his muscular arms. "I know Mulder, I feel the same way...when your laying next to me, I feel so safe, so loved...its hard to keep my feelings from spilling out at work. I want to hug you, kiss you, feel your arms wrapped around me, but I have to maintain myself. And at home, it just feels empty without you there..."

"Scully, you know what I'm gonna say eventually, don't you?"

She squeezed his arms tighter, "Just not right now, Mulder, please I need to keep working for now..."

He nodded his head. "Eventually Scully though, you're gonna have to step away. I can't have you out there getting hurt, I just couldn't take it. Your gonna have to stop. Your gonna have to move on and become a doctor. I don't want you to argue with me about it though."

Scully lowered her eyes. "I know Mulder, " she said. " But what about you?", she thought to herself.

"Come on Scully, I need to take you home."

Mulder helped her up from the steps and they entered into her mother's home.

"Mom, is there anything I can help you with?", Scully said entering into the kitchen. Tara and Mrs. Scully were washing dishes.

"No, you two love birds looked too content, we didn't want to disturb you. We've got everything under control."

Scully blushed realizing that her family probably saw them kissing.

"I made two plates for the both of you, " her mom said, handing her the food.

"Dana, you'll call me when you get home, won't you."

She hugged her mom tightly, "Mom, thanks for such a lovely meal."

Mrs. Scully turned towards Mulder and gave him a big hug. "Fox, thank you for coming. You make sure she gets home safe, alright."

"I will, Mrs. Scully. " He then turned to her sister-n-law. "Nice seeing you again."

Scully kissed her nephew on the forehead. "Its been too long since I've seen him."

"We know, " Tara said. "We'll fly back for Christmas or maybe you both can come to our house for Christmas again."

"Sounds good, " Scully said, hugging her.

Bill after a few Irish whiskey's shook Mulder's hand, still not speaking a word to him. He then turned to his now only sister. "Take care of yourself sis. Take care."

She nodded and waved to her family as they walked out of the door. Mulder grabbed her hand and they walked over to his car. He opened the door, and Scully slid into the seat. He shut the door and walked over to the drivers side. Scully reached over and kissed him. "Mulder thank you for coming with me."

"Don't press your luck at Christmas, Scully!", he smiled.

"Ha, Ha! You're taking me home Mulder?"

Mulder smiled wickedly. "Scully, are you coming on to me?", he smiled.

Scully reached out and held his hand, "Yes, of course I am."

He kissed her hand and she turned to wave towards her mother's house. She knew they were watching them. She could feel it. Her mother, Tara and Bill all waved back to her from the kitchen window. She smiled, she had often wondered what would happen if she had brought Mulder to a family holiday. Now she knew...Mulder pulled out into the street and they gripped each others hand. She closed her eyes, resting as he drove them home. He watched her as much as he watched the road, she could feel that too. She smiled and Mulder smiled back, he was caught watching her again.

"You're not falling asleep now are you?", Mulder asked.

She winked at him. "Just resting up a little bit..."

Mulder's foot pressed harder on the pedal.

"Mulder, we need to make it back in one piece..."

He slowed down a little..."Get plenty of rest Scully, get plenty of rest..."

She grinned and then turned, falling asleep knowing that he would continue to watch her, memorizing her every breath.

**Please Leave Feedback: Thanks!**


End file.
